Simulated christmas tree



Dec. 15, 1959 F. D. MEYER SIMULATED CHRISTMAS TREE Filed April 2o, 1959'Inder-5rrox'zcls @M89 er @WM m2,

United States PatentO SIMULATED CHRISTMAS TREE Francis D. Meyer,Hammond, Ind.

.t Application April 20, 1959, Serial No. 807,464

2 Claims. (Cl. 4115) yThis invention'4 relates to artificial Christmastrees formed of sheet material such as cardboard and the primary objectis to construct such a -tree in a novel manner enabling it to be shippedin flattened condition but to be assembled to obtain a full branchedeffect simulating the appearance of an actual fir or other type ofevergreen tree used in connection with the observance of Christmas.

Another object is to utilize a plurality of sheets to provide arealistic appearance of `a Christmas tree by connecting the sheetstogether in a novel manner and forming the sheets with separablesections projecting into the spaces between adjacent sheets.

t 'base member;

Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevational views of a full sheet and a halftsheet respectively of the tree;

= Eign l'is a diagrammaticplan-view of thefassembled tree; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a fiat sheet showing amodified base member.

The present invention is especially adapted for simulating theappearance of evergreen trees such as fir trees used in connection withthe observance of Christmas. In general such trees are full bodied withshort trunks and are of inverted V-shape. The artificial treeillustrated in the drawings for simulating this appearance comprises aplurality of flat sheets 10"and 11 of material radiating from an uprightcentral or trunk portion 12 and supported in vertical planes on a base13. The base has a flat bottom adapted to rest on a horizontalsupporting surface and connected to the trunk portion of the tree. Inthe form shown in Figs. l to 6, the base comprises a fiat annular plate14 which is secured to the lower end of an upstanding tubular support15. Around its upper end portion, this support is slotted at angularlyspaced points as indicated at 16 to receive lower edge portions of thedifferent sheets and maintain the sheets in a-ngularly spaced relation.

To simulate the tree of inverted V-shape, the individual sheets 10 and11 have a similar peripheral outline. In the present instance, there arefour sheets 10 of inverted V-shape which may be referred to as fullsheets. Also, there are two sheets 11 which have the same shape asone-half of each full sheet and may be referred to as halfsheets. All ofthese sheets are secured together at the trunk portion 12 of the treeand generally along a line 17 Patented Dec.r 15, 1959 which bisects thefull sheets and extends along a vertical edge 18 of each` half-sheet.The full sheets lie side by side in the finally assembled tree and theirhalves radiate at different angles from the trunk. The half sheets' 11 textend transversely of the full sheets and lie substantially in a commonplane bisecting the angles of the halves of the full sheets. To fastenthe half sheets to the full sheets and the latter to each other, tabs 19project fromthe vertical edges 18 of the half sheets and through alignedslots 20 in the full sheets and are recessed at 21 adjacent their lowerends to receive thefull sheets adjacent .the lower ends of the slots andform depending lugs 22. v The latter engage the outer sides of theoutermost full sheets to lock all of the sheets together after the tabsare .passed through the slots, the tabs of each half sheet lyingalongside the tabs of the other half sheet within the slots.

After the sheets thus are secured rigidly together along the junctionline 17, their lower edge portions are fit into the slots 16 in thetubular support 15 so that the different sheet halves are disposed invertical planes angularly spaced around thejunction line, short verticalslots 23 (Figs. 4 and 5) beingcut in the bottom edge portions of thesheets to receive the upper end of the support and prevent shifting ofthe sheet in a vertical plane relative to the'support. The peripheraledges of each half sheet and each half of the full sheets extendhorizontally and outwardly from the tubular support alongva straightline 24 and then upwardly and inwardly to a point spaced above thesupport. The upwardly-inclined portion is indicated at 25 and has spacedpoints 26 defined by a zigzagging of that portion to simulate theperiphery of evergreen trees.

t In accordance with the present invention, Vthe intermediate portionsof the different sheets 10 and 11 between the trunk 12 and the periphery2S are constructed in a novel manner to extend into the spaces betweenthe radial v planes of the sheets and thereby achieve a full-bodied-dividedy into a plurality of sections or strips 28, each connected` tothe trunk and foldable individually away from theplane of the sheet sothat the sectionsmay be disposed at different angles with respect tosuch plane. To rigidify the finished device, the cut lines terminate atthe trunk portion 12 of the sheet to leave each section connected to thesheet at two points spaced along the trunk.

The lines 27 of severance of each sheet into its individual sections inthis instance follow a zigzag pattern like that of the outer side edges25 in parallelism with such edges and then extend horizontally inparallelism with the straight bottom edges 24 of the sheet. Due to itsconnection at two points spaced along the trunk 12 of each sheet, eachindividually foldable section retains some rigidity and also remains inContact with adjacent sections at the points of connection to the trunkso as to produce a friction between the adjacent sections tending toretain the sections in whatever relative positions they have been moved.The trunk 12 of each sheet between the ends of the various sections andthe junction line 17 on the full sheets or vertical edge 18 of the halfsheets remain imperforate thereby adding rigidity to the finished tree.

The material used for the sheets preferably is flexible to enable thesheets to be bent so that the halves thereof `can be located in thedifferent radial planes and the individual sections 28 can be bent outat the desired angles with respect to each plane. At the same time, somerigidity in the material is desired to enable the tree to stand byitself. A suitable material for larger sized trees is cardboard. Metalcould also be used.

It will be seen that the improved tree can he shipped easily with thesheets and 11 disconnected and lying at against each other. From thiscondition, the full sheets 10 are arranged with their slots 20 inalignment and the tabs 19 and lugs 22 on the half sheets 11 then areprojected through the aligned slots and interlocked with the fullsheets. The half sheets and the halves of the various full sheets thenare disposed in the desired radial planes and are inserted into theslots 16 in the tubular support with the recesses 23 in the bottom edgesof the sheets receiving the tubular support adjacent the bottoms of theslots. Once the connected sheets are mounted properly on the tubularsupport, the individually t foldable sections 28 are bent out fromopposite sides 0f vertical plane. Such a modified construction is shownin Fig. 7. Preferably, these sections are formed integral with thesheets thereby enabling them to be cut out at the same time as thesheets.

By virtue of the individually foldable strips 28 of each of the sheets10 and 11, the finished tree has a very fullbodied appearance closelysimulating the appearance of a real evergreen tree. Being connected toits associated sheet at two spaced points, each strip is rigidied and,due to the frictional engagement with adjacent strips at a plurality ofpoints, tends to remain in the adjusted position to which it is foldedinitially. Also, the central or trunk portion 12 of each sheet adjacentthe junction line 17 remains imperforate so as to strengthen the nishedtree.

I claim as my invention:

1. A simulated Christmas tree having, in combination, a plurality ofsheets of foldable material secured to each other along a commonvertically elongated central portion of the tree and radiating therefromin dilferent planes, said sheets having peripheries of similar shapelike the periphery of a tree extending outwardly from one point alongsaid central portion and then inwardly to a spaced point along suchportion and each sheet having a plurality of cuts paralleling each otherand the periphery of the sheet and dividing the sheet into a pluralityof sections each connected to the central portion at spaced points alongthe portion and foldable out of the plane of the sheet on opposite sidesthereof each at an angle different from the angle of other sections withrespect to such plane to give the appearance of a fullbranched tree, anda base connected to said central portion and adapted to rest on ahorizontalvsurface to support said sheets in vertical planes, the partof each of said sheets along said central portion being of substantialhorizontal width to form a rigid self supporting trunk sustaining theweight of said sections and remaining at when the sections are bent withrespect to the sheet.

2. A simulated Christmas tree comprising a plurality of at sheets ofexible material secured together along a common juncture line andradiating therefrom at difierent angles in angularly spaced lverticalplanes with the periphery of each sheet extending rst horizontally andoutwardly from said support and said juncture line at the lower edge ofthe sheet and then inwardly and upwardly along a zigzag path to thejuncture line whereby a prolc of the sheet is generally of invertedV-shape, each of said sheets having a plurality of cuts made along linesparalleling said periphery of the sheet and spaced apart substantiallyuniform distances from the periphery and each other to define individualsections connected to an inner portion of the sheet adjacent but spacedfrom said juncture line at spaced points along the line and foldableaway from such inner portion at an angle different from the angles ofthe other sections to provide the appearance of a full-branched tree,said inner portion of each of said sheets having substantial horizontalwidth to form a rigid trunk and support the weight of said sections v'ofthe sheet and remaining flat when the sections are bent relative to thesheet.

l References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.43,757 Chase Apr. 1, 1913 1,600,813 Flentye Sept. 21, 1926 2,587,003Shina. Feb. 26, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 284,818 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1952

